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Much has been written on the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902. Different themes, ranging from battles to more personal experiences, have been documented.
Furthermore there are many statistics regarding the war. The aim of this study is to obtain, through the existing sources, the total number of civilian deaths during the Anglo- Boer war. To compile a genealogical database regarding the civilian deaths is not an easy task. Almost all sources have conflicting figures regarding the number of civilians who actually died. Deaths were not restricted to the concentration camps. There were also those of people on their way to the camps, or those fleeing from captivity. The aim of this study is to give an account of the process used to compile the genealogical database. By putting certain criteria in place the database should be stripped of any duplication. The reasons for [him concentration camps being created, and the number of camps that came into existence, including the total of deaths with unique abstracts from the database, are described in detail. There is confusion about the terms "refugee" and concentration camps. This is clarified. A brief explanation is given of how, where and when the camps came into being. The number of camps, and their period of existence, as well as the total numbers of civilian deaths in the camps, were compiled in an effort to secure greater accuracy. With the relevant support of information from the electronic database, it was possible to compile a comprehensive picture of the numbers of deaths that occurred. There are furthermore, some observations on the spelling of surnames. It is important because the use of Afrikaans, Dutch and English has led to different forms of spelling. The core objective of this study was to find the exact number of civilian deaths during the Anglo-Boer War. The penultimate chapter is a detailed explanation of related deaths. A list containing the main causes of deaths, mainly disease, is included. The number of deaths is tabulated in terms of their causes. It is possible to see the profound impact of what really happened. Information of unique deaths, deaths in certain families, as well as statistics regarding the overall age and gender of victims is included. Another aim of the study was to compile a complete list of all the civilians who died during the Anglo Boer War, more complete and with more detail than that of P.L.A. Goldman. This was indeed an overwhelming exercise. P.L.A. Goldman had a total of 27 927 names and the database total account for 33 978 individual deaths. Included are the 759 names of black names as compiled by S.V. Kessler. Hopefully the database will succeed in bringing us closer to the civilian deaths during 1899-1902. It should be useful to genealogical researchers.